Basketball (M)

SALISBURY, NC -- Catawba College placed four players in double figures and defeated visiting Mars Hill 86-73 in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Goodman Gym. The Indians improve to 9-14 overall and 4-6 in the SAC, while Mars Hill falls to 9-14 and 2-8.
Mars Hill spotted Catawba the first seven points, but rallied to grab an 11-10 lead with 13:41 left in the opening half. The Lions led 15-14 when Catawba used a 14-3 run to take a 28-18 advantage eight minutes before the break. Catawba increased its lead to 13 on a couple of occasions, but the Lions whittled the margin down to 40-35 at the half.
The Indians jumped out to a 12-point lead early in the second half, but Mars Hill was back within five with 11:49 left following a three-pointer by Richie Covington (Georgetown, KY) at 54-49. Catawba would score eight straight points to go back up by double digits.
Mars Hill made one last run, cutting its deficit to 76-70 with 1:54 remaining in a stretch where the Loins scored 10 straight of their points at the line. Catawba would convert all its free throw attempts in the final 1:30 to seal the win. The Indians shot 54.5% (30-of-55) for the game and held the league’s leading scorer, Ronald Lewis (New Orleans, LA), to nine points, 10 under his season average.
Brian Frasier (Martinsville, VA) scored a season-high 22 points in the win, hitting on 7-of-11 shots, including 4-of-6 from three points range. Duke Phipps (Newport News, VA) added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Helgi Magnusson (Reykjavik, ICELNAD) and Brain Graves (Newport News, VA) tallied 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Kirby Lee (Fort Mill, SC) had 19 points to lead Mars Hill, while Covington posted a double-double with 12 points and a dozen rebounds. Chris Conn (Morehead, KY) scored 10 points.
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